Pied Piper
by T. Rycbar
Summary: Ensign William Piper is an average Starfleet officer serving aboard the U.S.S. Enterprise (although 'average' on the Enterprise would probably be described as 'slightly crazy' anywhere else). Sure, he's a little younger than most, has a habit of singing on the job, and can't sit still to save his life...but hey, nobody's perfect, right? (T for language)
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1:

Classic Boredom

* * *

"_For a moment, nothing happened. Then, after a second or so, nothing continued to happen." _

_\- Douglas Adams, 'The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy'_

* * *

Almost there. Ensign William Piper let out a quiet sigh as he glanced at the time printed at the corner of his console for what felt like the millionth time. Gamma shift on the Enterprise was not known for its overwhelmingly exciting nature, and unfortunately, spending the whole time on the bridge made no difference.

The big viewing screen was entertaining at first, but having spent the last three weeks or so in deep space, staring at a giant window into inky nothingness had long since lost its appeal.

Will snuck a quick look behind him, to where Acting Captain Matthews was scrolling through some report or other on his PADD. He let out another sigh, running a hand through his dirty blond hair. It was probably messed up from the action, but he couldn't find it in himself to care that much. It wasn't like Commander Spock was around during Gamma to berate him for being out of uniform.

_This is the worst,_ Will groaned to himself, spinning slightly in his chair to entertain himself. Being the youngest Tactical officer on the Enterprise meant that he was quite good at his job, but it didn't change the fact that 18-year-olds, no matter how intelligent they were, did not do well with sitting still for long periods of time with nothing to do but update reports and direct the occasional repair job.

In some ways, being chosen to serve on the bridge really sucked.

Will aimlessly scrolled through the report summaries on his console for the hundredth time, eyes skimming over the data. He had completed his end-of-shift report 20 minutes ago, so there was really no reason for him to look over the latest tactical data from the lower decks, but he didn't exactly have anything better to do. After he finished halfheartedly reading the end-of-shift report on the long-range photon banks on deck 15, he looked up at the time once more.

_Finally!_ _Now, where is O'Connor?_ He pondered, resisting the urge to hum the song that had been stuck in his head all shift. Usually his Alpha shift counterpart was right on time.

Luckily, Piper didn't have to wait long, as the bridge doors hissed open no more than thirty seconds later. He turned briefly to make sure O'Connor was among the group entering the bridge before swiftly logging off from the console and spinning around in his chair to approach Matthews. O'Connor, used to Piper's eagerness to leave the bridge, slid into the newly vacant seat and began typing away at the console quietly.

"Permission to leave the bridge, sir?" Piper asked, tripping over his words slightly in his haste to get them out. Matthews didn't even look up from the PADD.

"Your relief has arrived, Ensign Piper?" he deadpanned.

"Yessir. O'Connor just got here."

"Alright. Permission granted. See you next shift," Matthews answered, sparing a brief glance to the Tactical console to confirm the ensign's claim.

Will practically skipped out the door, despite his fatigue. Sitting still had never been his forte, especially when he was bored and forced to remain quiet for the sake of professionalism.

_Professionalism, _he scoffed to himself, stepping into the turbo lift and reaching a hand into his pocket to pull out his earbuds. _Who needs it?_

He managed to settle his earbuds into position and pull out his PADD before the lift came to a stop on Deck 4, where most of the crew members' quarters were located. Will's quarters were at the complete opposite end of where this particular turbo lift let out, but that didn't bother him. In fact, most nights he was rather grateful for it.

One of the first major discoveries Will made while on the Enterprise was that its living quarters were almost completely soundproof. Of course, there were alarms fed into each room for emergencies, but other than that, the majority of noises that were made in the hallways were completely filtered out, along with those from other people's quarters.

It made it much easier for the Alpha shift crewmembers to sleep while the Beta shift folks were walking around performing their duties, and for the Beta crewmembers to sleep while Gamma was up and about, and…well, you get the picture.

It was also convenient for situations such as this, when, for example, a fidgety young ensign fresh off of duty felt the need to let out some pent-up energy during his walk to his quarters.

As soon as the doors opened, he was ready. He pressed play on his special end-of-shift-celebratory playlist and strutted out into the hallway, singing along loudly, if not a little off-key.

_What you want, you've got_

_And it might be hot to handle_

_But like the flame that burns the candle_

_The candle feeds the flame, yeah, yeah. _

He accentuated his loud singing with little spins, random limb movements, and bobbing his head to the beat. Will was sure he looked ridiculous, but he could never find it in himself to care. This was his moment of goofy, unimpeded movement. And besides, he never ran into anyone during one of his lone jam-out sessions, so there really wasn't anything to worry about in that respect.

_What I've got's full stock of thoughts and dreams that scatter_

_You pull them all together_

_And how, I can't explain, _

_Oh, yeah, well well, you_

_You make my dreams come true_

_Well well you, oh yeah_

_You make my dreams come true_

Will accompanied the chorus with some clumsy air guitar, eyes squeezed shut and hands flying wildly, so wrapped up in his stellar performance that he didn't notice when a door further down the hall slid open.

In fact, he was so thoroughly distracted that he didn't realize that he was not alone in the hallway until one of his hands collided with something that felt suspiciously like a face.

Will's eyes flew open and he yanked the earbuds out, already stuttering apologies to the unfortunate soul who had fallen victim to his eccentric dancing.

"Oh, shit, I'm so sorry, I didn't even see you there…oh man, did I break your nose? Here, let me see, I bet it isn't that bad," he rambled.

The yellow-clothed man whom he had hit was slightly bent over, one hand cupping his nose. Will grasped his forearm as he talked and hauled him upright, only to drop his steadying hand in shock at the identity of his victim.

"Oh, _fuck_ – I-I mean, Captain Kirk, sir, I am _so_ sorry, I – "

Kirk cut off the rambling ensign with a wave of his hand.

"It was an accident, Ensign…"

"Piper, sir. W-William Piper."

"Right. No need to get all flustered, Piper, it's just a broken nose. Though I have to suggest that you pay a little more attention next time," Kirk assured, removing the hand from his face to reveal a misshapen nose and a little amused smirk.

"Y-Yes, sir," Will nodded frantically.

"Good," Kirk patted him on the shoulder as he continued on towards the lift. Will let out a quiet sigh of relief, shoulders slumping as he began to walk the rest of the way to his quarters.

"Oh, and Ensign," Kirk's voice called from the end of the hall. Will spun around to look at his captain.

"Sir?" he questioned a little nervously.

"You've got a good taste in music," Kirk flashed Piper a quick grin before stepping into the lift.

As Will turned to leave, he could have sworn he heard the captain mumbling under his breath about how 'Bones' was gonna kill him for breaking something before his shift even started.

Even so, Piper continued on with a little skip in his step, humming the song under his breath. Who knew the Captain was a fan of the classics?

**O*O*O*O*O*O*O**

"Hey, Piper!" a voice called from the other end of the mess hall.

Will picked up his tray and turned to see the waving arm of Ensign Ch'vehlat beckoning him to a table near the back. The 20-year-old Andorian navigator was one of Will's good friends on the Enterprise, the two of them having been assigned as roommates at the Academy. He was sitting with a small group of ensigns around his age; two enginners, a science officer, and another navigator.

"Hey, Aryv. Haven't seen you much lately. How's Alpha shift treating you?" Will greeted as he approached the table, sitting down on the opposite side of his friend.

"Ah, you know, same old, same old. Not much for me to do, really, now that we're back in charted space for a while," he replied easily, taking a sip of his drink. "Oh, Will, I don't know if you've met these fine officers yet. We see a lot of each other since we're all on Alpha this rotation."

Will shook his head, glancing around the table at the other occupants.

"No, I don't think I have. I'm Will Piper, Tactical. I'm on Gamma at the moment."

The yellow-shirted woman sitting to his left, who seemed to be at least part Betazoid, introduced herself first.

"Ensign Tala Vik, Navigations. Nice to meet you," she said politely. Will nodded and gave her a quick smile.

"Leon Krause, Engineering," the curly red-headed ensign sitting on the other side of Vik spoke up in a thick German accent, leaning back to shake Will's hand. "And that stinkstiefel over there is my little sister, Emilie."

The science officer sitting to Aryv's left, directly across from Will, stuck her tongue out at her brother, her equally curly red hair making it obvious that they were related.

"I can speak for myself, hosenscheisser," she shot back, accent just as pronounced as her sibling's. She also offered her hand for Will to shake. "No one calls me Emilie except for my idiot brother. Call me Em. I work in Xenobiology."

"Pleased to meet you," Will grinned, shaking the redhead's hand.

The Vulcan engineer to Aryv's right gave no indication that he had any intentions of speaking up…that is, until the Andorian gave him a little nudge with his shoulder to encourage him. Will thought he seemed a little annoyed by the action, although it was hard to tell with Vulcans.

"Ensign T'Kian. Enginnering," he finally spoke up, voice just as cool and collected as any other member of his species. Will nodded politely and let him be.

"So, Will…" Aryv leaned forward, a mischievous look on his face. "There's a rumor going around that you were the one who broke the Captain's nose last week. That true?"

Will groaned internally as the other occupants of the table, save T'Kian, of course, turned to him curiously.

"Really? That was you?" Leon grinned. "I was on the bridge that day, and boy, oh, boy, did Kirk get a lecture from the CMO. They had a whole argument right on the bridge!"

"Ok, ok, look, I did it, but it was an accident, alright?" Will exclaimed, swirling his oatmeal around sheepishly. "I just wasn't looking where I was going in the hallway, and we…ran into each other."

Tala, the navigations officer sitting next to him, narrowed her eyes as she studied him closely. Suddenly, she leaned back a little, a flash of triumph flashing across her face before it disappeared.

"He's lying," she announced softly to the rest of the group.

Will wanted to bash his head against the table. Betazoid. Of course she could tell he was lying. At her declaration, even T'Kian looked up from his food briefly, and Aryv was practically begging Will to tell the whole story.

"Come _on_, roomie, there's nothing else good to talk about these days! Give me something to work with, here!" he moaned.

"I don't know what you're talking about. I told you the story," Will smugly declared, taking a bite of his food.

"Ignorance. Okay, so that's how it's gonna be," the Andorian sat up again, picking up his fork. "Just know, _William_, we'll get it out of you eventually."

Will didn't answer, taking a sip of his orange juice to hide his smirk.

_Good luck with that, buddy,_ he thought.

Conversation turned to other things after that, although Leon, Em, and Aryv did most of the talking, with Will, Tala, and T'Kian chiming in every so often. Will found himself enjoying the company of the strange group, with Leon and Em's loud banter, Aryv's witty retorts, Tala's calm presence, and T'Kian's dry sense of humor. Eventually, they had to wrap it up, though, since the others had just gotten off shift and were ready for some much-needed sleep.

Will waved goodbye to the rest of the group as he exited the mess hall, bouncing his PADD listlessly against his leg as he went. His shift wasn't due to start for another ten minutes, so he decided to take a more circuitous route than usual.

"Deck 2, please," he stated as he stepped into the lift.

Deck 2 would take him past some of the lesser-used science labs, which were all practically empty this close to the end of Beta shift. It would be the perfect place to get out the last of his jittery energy before his shift on the bridge began.

Despite his less-than-ideal run-in with Captain Kirk last week, Piper had had absolutely no contact with any other crewmates during one of his solo singing sessions. He had already decided that the event was a one-time stroke of bad luck.

_After all,_ he thought as he put his earbuds in his ears and scrolled through his playlist. _What are the chances of something like that happening twice in two weeks?_

Will stepped out of the lift as soon as it opened, casting a wary eye as far down the hallway as he could before turning his attention back to his music. His lips twitched up in a small smile when he came across one particular song he hadn't listened to in a while, from a Terran Broadway production originating sometime in the 2010s.

He double-checked that the coast was clear before pressing play and starting to walk down the hallway in time with the beat as he belted out the lyrics in the most dramatic manner possible.

_Dear Evan Hansen, we've been way too out of touch. _

_Things have been crazy, and it sucks that we don't talk that much._

Will zig-zagged across the hall for his one-man performance, using his free hand to pretend to beat a drum as he sang. He meant to keep his eyes open the whole time, he really did. But sometimes…well, most of the time, really…he just got too caught up with the music to pay attention to trivial things like preserving one's dignity or noticing one's First Officer approaching from down the hall.

_But I should tell you that I think of you each night…_

_I rub my nipples and start moaning with delight! _

_Why would you write that?_

_I'm just trying to – _

Will screeched to a halt as his earbuds were firmly yanked out of his ears, cutting off the music and causing him to snap his gaze around looking for the culprit.

"Hey! I was listening…" he trailed off when he realized who was holding his earpiece.

"Do you care to explain why you are loudly singing inappropriate lyrics as you walk through a deck you have no business on, Ensign?" Commander Spock asked coolly, although his burning gaze portrayed his true opinion on the matter.

Will instantly stood at attention, his heart pounding and eyes wide with apprehension.

"Commander. I, uh, I was just…heading to the bridge to start my shift…sir," he stated weakly, refusing to make eye contact with the Commander. He knew of Spock's reputation as a disciplinarian, but he had never been unfortunate enough to actually be subject to his punishments for unruly crewmembers.

_Man, I am having the worst luck these days,_ Will gulped, waiting anxiously for the Commander to reply.

"I need not remind you, Ensign…" Spock prompted, stepping directly into Will's line of sight so he had no choice but to look him in the eye.

"P-Piper, sir."

"Ensign Piper. I trust that I will not need to remind you again that singing and frolicking through the halls during duty hours is not acceptable behavior for a Starfleet officer aboard a Federation craft, as it may provide a distraction for those of us who are attempting to perform their duties. Any further incidents will be brought to the Captain's attention. Am I clear?" Spock asked, expression held carefully neutral throughout the small lecture.

"Y-Yes, sir. Thank you, sir," Will quickly replied, not daring to move until dismissed.

The commander held out Will's earbuds for the Ensign to take before nodding sharply, releasing the young crewmember from his frozen position. Will wasted no time. He began walking down the hall as fast as he could without breaking into a run, not releasing his stiff stance until he was safely in the nearest lift.

"Bridge," he panted, running a hand through his hair and attempting to shake off the residual effects of the intense glare of the Vulcan commander.

_That's it. No more dancing in the halls,_ he vowed as the lift opened to reveal the bridge in all its shining glory.

Will sighed. At least he wasn't jittery anymore.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2:

One-Man Band

* * *

"_We are now cruising at a level of 2 to the power of 25,000 to 1 against and falling, and we will be restoring normality just as soon as we are sure what is normal anyway."_

\- _Douglas Adams, 'The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy'_

* * *

_Hand me down my walkin' cane_

_Hand me down my hat_

_Hurry now and don't be late _

_Cause we ain't got time to chat_

_You and me, we're goin' out_

_To catch the latest sounds_

_Guaranteed to blow your mind_

_So high, you won't come down_

Will paused in his soft singing as he struggled to reach the main conduit in the section he was working on. He had been assigned back to the main Tactical station in Engineering after the last shift rotation, to his immense relief. His secondary degrees in Warp Theory and Electrical Engineering did wonders in helping him sway his commanding officer, Lieutenant Tao, to switching up his duty placement after the last rotation, which meant that now, he could listen to quiet music on duty once in a while. Plus, he had much more leeway when it came to moving around when he was working, which meant he was a lot less fidgety than he had been during his time on the bridge.

Another bonus was that his shift happened to be placed on Alpha this time around. His new group of friends were all still on the same shifts, so it was much easier to find time to hang out together now that they shared a schedule…plus, everyone knew that all the exciting things happened during Alpha.

Take today, for example.

Ensign Piper had been called by Tao to repair a glitch in one of the torpedo launch tubes, which was taken offline by some unknown energy surge during a brief altercation with an alien vessel. The maintenance shaft was a tight squeeze, no doubt about it, but as far as Will was concerned, even slithering through a dark tunnel on his stomach was better than being forced to sit still under the watchful eye of Matthews on the Gamma shift bridge crew.

Will shook himself out of his thoughts, furrowing his brow in concentration as he activated his tricorder to scan the conduit casing. After a moment, the results scrolled across the small screen.

_That can't be right,_ he frowned, pulling the device closer to his chest and smacking it with his other hand in a futile effort to change the results. According to the readings, the conduit should have been working just fine. Which was obviously incorrect, since all the torpedoes in this section weren't responding to the main computer.

"Looks like we're gonna have to crack this one open, folks," he muttered to himself, replacing his tricorder with his communicator and inching forward a little more so he could get a good look at the issue.

"Piper to the bridge," he said, putting the communicator on the tunnel floor next to his face so he could use his hands to start to figure out how to get the wiring exposed.

"Go ahead," Lieutenant Tao's voice answered.

"Sir, could you have Engineering shut down power to Torpedo Launch section B, conduits 10 through 14?" Will asked, squinting to make out the number labeled above the area he was working at.

"Stand by," Tao replied, before the comm fell mostly silent.

The lieutenant must have put it through his workstation on the bridge so the rest of the crew remained updated, because Will could hear the faint murmuring of other people talking in the background. He had to resist the strong urge to get back to singing to himself, or at least tapping his fingers against the sides of the tunnel to make a cool beat. It was Alpha, after all, meaning the Captain was on the other end of that communicator. Plus Commander Spock, who was frankly much more frightening than Kirk.

Finally, Tao's voice came through the device again.

"All clear, Ensign. Power from conduits 10 through 14 has been shut down."

"Aye, sir. Piper out," he replied quickly, immediately pulling his laser from his tool belt and getting back to work.

In his rush, he didn't even notice that he had refrained from shutting off his communicator, which sat innocently about a foot away from his face.

"Alrighty Mr. I'm-Not-Malfunctioning," Will said quietly to himself, pulling away the conduit plating and inspecting the wires underneath. "Let's see what the problem is."

It only took couple seconds for him to locate the issue: somehow, a few of the wires had been disconnected from the main power couplings, and one or two of them had even been stripped of their protective casings, which meant he had to replace them. Luckily, he had the foresight to bring along the tools needed, and he got right to work. The fact that his tricorder hadn't picked up the issue was puzzling for sure, but it really wasn't Will's job to figure that part out. He'd bring it up with one of the Engineering gurus when he finished.

_Now, where was I?_ he thought as he began cutting away the first damaged wire. He always worked better with music. He hummed the first couple verses quickly to get himself back on track before picking up where he left off earlier.

_Hey y'all, prepare yourself for the Rubberband Man_

_You never heard a sound like the Rubberband Man_

_You're bound to lose control_

_When the Rubberband starts to jam_

He paused for only a moment so he could focus on pulling the wire out before starting up again.

_Once I went to hear them play _

_At a club outside of town_

_I was so surprised, I was hypnotized _

_By the sound this cat's puttin' down_

_When I saw this short fat guy _

_Stretch a band between his toes_

_Hey, I laughed so hard 'cause the man got down _

_When he finally reached his goal_

Will shifted forward a little further to reach the last damaged wire, oblivious to the sounds of muffled laughter coming from the open communicator to his left.

_Hey y'all, prepare yourself for the Rubberband Man_

_You never heard a sound like the Rubberband Man_

_You're bound to lose control_

_When the Rubberband starts to jam_

His voice faded away as he finished replacing the last wire and he shuffled around so he could get his laser back to his belt. But when he felt around his waist for the smooth rectangular surface of his communicator, he couldn't find it.

"Aw, shit, where'd it go?" he mumbled, turning this way and that to make sure he wasn't lying on it. Luckily, he spotted the device fairly quickly and pressed the button to activate the link, not realizing that since it had been open the whole time, his action actually disconnected it.

"Piper to bridge," he said, sighing to himself.

Crawling through the maintenance tunnel may have been better than sitting on the bridge all shift, but Will was starting to get antsy in the cramped space. He waited a moment when Tao didn't answer right away, but frowned and poked at the communicator when the silence stretched on.

"Lieutenant?" he questioned before waiting another few seconds. No response. Will frowned and pressed at the device again.

_Maybe the communicator was affected by the energy blast too,_ he thought, looking over the item worriedly. There didn't seem to be anything wrong with it. He decided to try one more time before beginning the crawl back to the opening of the maintenance shaft.

"Piper to bridge. Anyone read?" he said, more insistently this time.

"Tao here, we hear you Ensign," came the swift reply. Will slumped a little in relief. The Lieutenant seemed a little off, but at least the communicator was working.

"I'm finished with the conduit, sir. I'll come up to the bridge with a full report as soon as I get out of the maintenance shaft," he reported, already beginning to inch around for the crawl back.

"Acknowledged, Ensign. Bridge out," Tao responded, almost sounding…amused.

Will shook his head as he flipped the communicator off and clipped it back to his waist. He'd never heard Tao laugh about…well, anything. There was even a rumor going around that he had been raised in an off-world Vulcan monastery. Will was never one to take any stock in those sorts of stories, but even he had to admit that the man had an uncanny ability to keep a straight face.

Once Will made it out of the tunnel, he made a beeline for the lift, dodging the various crewmembers rushing to complete their own tasks.

"Bridge," he stated firmly, taking out his PADD and scrolling through the data he'd compiled from the tricorder in preparation for his briefing.

He only had a moment to scan the information before the lift slowed to a stop and the doors hissed open, though, so he tucked the device under his arm and snapped to attention as he stepped onto the deck.

"Permission to join the bridge, sir?"

"Granted, Ensign. Let's see about these torpedoes, huh?" Kirk replied, waving Will over to the Tactical station.

As he approached, Piper noticed a few of the bridge crew giving him funny looks. He would have discounted it as nothing if it had been only a few people, but it seemed like almost everyone was looking at him weird. Will swallowed nervously.

Had he done something wrong in his bridge protocol? He could've sworn the correct form was to come to attention and ask for permission to join, but it had been a stressful day. Maybe he missed something obvious.

Will shook off his confusion sharply as soon as he stopped in front of Tao and Kirk, clearing his throat softly in preparation for his report.

"Captain, I inspected conduit 12 in Torpedo Launch section B, as ordered, and found that the energy blast somehow managed to partially disconnect the conduit from the power coupling in that section. I even had to completely replace a few wires that had been stripped of their protective barriers," he stated, handing his PADD to Tao as he spoke. "However, my tricorder failed to recognize any issues with the conduit, so I had to remove the casing to see what was wrong for myself. Either my tricorder is malfunctioning, or there are still some residual effects in the ship we don't know about."

Kirk frowned in thought.

"So you're saying that this energy blast somehow…targeted key functions of our weapons systems. And that it could possibly still pose a threat," he said, seeming to be mostly thinking aloud. "Maybe this energy signature isn't as random as we thought."

"That's the conclusion I came to, sir," Will nodded.

"Hmm," Kirk huffed, looking up from the Tactical screen to address the Ensign directly. "Well, at any rate, that's for us to figure out. Is there anything else, Ensign?"

Will started to shake his head in the negative, until he remembered the issue with his communicator.

"Actually, sir, I also had a brief issue with my communicator. When I tried to contact the bridge the second time, I had to attempt establishing a link twice before I managed to get in contact with Lieutenant Tao. Normally I'd dismiss it, but with the interference my tricorder experienced, I thought I'd…" he trailed off in confusion as first Kirk, then Tao, started…smiling, seeming as if they were holding back laughter.

_What is with these guys?_ He thought, clearing his throat before trying to get their attention.

"Sir? Is something wrong?" he asked cautiously, looking between his commanding officer and his captain. After a few seconds, Kirk seemed to pull himself together enough to reply.

"The communicator issue was…unrelated to the electrical interference, Ensign," Kirk said, smile still firmly in place. Will scrunched his brow in confusion.

"Wha – I'm sorry, sir, but how – " he started, only for Tao to cut him off.

"You left your communicator on after you called the bridge to shut down the power couplings, Piper. When you tried to turn it on again, you were actually disconnecting the link," he explained, struggling to keep his voice steady.

The words didn't sink in for a moment. Will just stared at Tao confusedly for another few seconds before it finally clicked.

_Oh. __**Oh,**_his eyes widened in understanding. He was dimly aware of the quiet giggles coming from the rest of the bridge crew, minus Commander Spock, of course, but his focus was solely fixed on the Captain.

_Now you've done it, you idiot,_ he thought miserably to himself as he struggled to find something to say.

"O-oh, sir, I'm really – I mean, I apologize for that, I was just – " he stuttered, ears heating up in embarrassment.

"Ensign," Kirk chuckled, holding up a hand to stop the rambling teen. "It's fine. We all have our ways of concentrating. At least no one got hurt this time, right?"

Will, if possible, felt his ears go redder.

"Y-Yes, sir. Sorry, sir," he replied quickly. Tao, taking pity on the young crewmember, offered him his PADD back and nodded for him to be dismissed. Will practically ran from the bridge, mentally berating himself for his stupidity.

"Engineering," he ordered miserably as soon as he stepped onto the lift. The doors closed quickly, but not fast enough to prevent some of the residual laughter from leaking through.

"Computer?" Will asked, not looking away from the lift doors. "I am an idiot."

"Inquiry not recognized," the cool feminine voice replied. Will snorted, clipping his PADD back onto his belt as the lift slowed to a stop.

"Figures."

**O*O*O*O*O*O*O*O*O**

"So," Ensign Ch'vehlat leaned across the table to address his old roommate. "A little birdie from the Alpha bridge crew told me you have a beautiful singing voice, Piper."

Will groaned, dropping his spoon and pinching the bridge of his nose tiredly.

"Seriously, Aryv? It seems like _everyone_ on this ship knows about that, and it's only been a few days! Even Tao is getting in on the jokes. _Tao_! The guy with the temperament of a 200-year-old Vulcan Monk!" he exclaimed, throwing his hands up in exasperation before turning to T'Kian briefly. "No offense, T'Kian."

The Vulcan inclined his head, taking the comparison in stride.

"None taken. The Vulcan monks are considered a particularly…dry… group of individuals, even by members of their own species."

"The point is, _Aryv,_" Will continued, picking up his utensil and pointing it accusingly at his Andorian friend. "The incident has already been discussed. At length. So there's no point in bringing it up anymore."

Aryv chuckled, taking a sip of his coffee and pretending to mull it over.

"I don't know…Em, Leon?" the two redheads looked up from their food immediately, impish smiles adorning their faces as they surveyed their increasingly embarrassed crewmate. Aryv nodded to Piper. "What do you think? Has the _entire_ story made it down to the depths of Engineering and Xenobiology yet?"

"Why no, Aryv, I believe my dear brother and I are missing a few of the details," Em answered innocently, tapping her chin in fake thought. Leon nodded enthusiastically, mouth too full of replicated lasagna to form a verbal reply.

"Oh, come on, guys!" Will groaned. "Tala, T'Kian, please tell me you guys are on my side at least."

The navigations officer, caught off guard by the call-out, looked around the table confusedly before quickly swallowing her mouthful of food.

"Uh…What are we talking about, again?" she asked. Will sighed and shook his head.

"Never mind." He waved her off amicably before turning to the Vulcan sitting on his left. "Come on, T'Kian, back me up here."

"Yes, I too believe it would be redundant to discuss the matter further," he answered after a beat of silence. "Perhaps our time would be better spent with an update of each of our department's upcoming projects. Inter-departmental communication is an exercise that can prove vital to the smooth running of any starship."

Will grinned in victory, sticking his tongue out at the Andorian across the table from him.

"Ha! Thank you, T'Kian," he crowed. "I agree wholeheartedly! Let's talk upcoming projects, people. Tala! What are you up to these days?"

Aryv and the Krause siblings rolled their eyes, but didn't argue further. But as the Andorian picked up his fork once more, he caught Will's gaze and smirked, determined to get in the last word.

"You do know what the guys on the bridge are calling you, though, right?" he asked, stabbing his salad without breaking eye contact with his former roommate.

"Aw, jeez. Do I even want to know?" Will asked cautiously, looking between him and Em, who seemed to be the only other member of the table in on the joke.

Aryv took a bite of his salad in response, attempting to drag out the moment for dramatic effect. Leon, who seemed disgruntled by the fact that his sister knew something he didn't, punched the Andorian's arm and scowled at him impatiently.

"Well, spit it out already!" he demanded, looking between his sister and Aryv.

"There are a few going around, but my favorite is from an old Earth story. It's German, actually," Aryv finally answered, nodding to the Krause siblings. "They're calling him Pied Piper. Get it? 'Cause of – "

"Yeah, yeah, we get it, idiot," Will interjected, although he couldn't help releasing a small huff of amusement at the name. "Anyways, Tala, you were talking about some upcoming projects in Navigations?"


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3:

Rocket Science

* * *

"_Would it save you all a lot of time if I just gave up and went mad now?"_

\- _Douglas Adams, 'The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy'_

* * *

"I understand that I have the qualifications for this job, sir, but are you _sure_ there aren't any other crewmembers available?" Will asked desperately, practically begging Tao to assign him somewhere else.

The lieutenant fixed him with a steely glare, not budging from his stance.

"Yes, Piper, I am sure. As I've explained _multiple _times, all the Engineering crewmembers are still very busy with the hull repairs. They don't have time to rewire a couple of bio-beds in the Medbay, and you are not currently needed in Tactical since the Klingon attack ended almost 24 hours ago. Now, _go_," he ordered sharply before turning away to head back to the bridge.

Will sighed, but did as he was ordered, grabbing a few extra things for his tool belt before stepping into the turbo-lift dejectedly.

It wasn't that he had anything better to do, really, it was just…while he had never been a big fan of sickbay to begin with, the incident with Captain Kirk in the hallway last month provided extra incentive to steer clear of the place. That damn CMO had him scared shitless, and he'd never even met the guy.

Aryv, who was one of those unfortunate enough to have McCoy as his attending, assured him that the rumors of the doctor's ability to hold a grudge were well-founded. He even went so far as to instruct Will to actively avoid him at all costs, unless he was prepared to receive the verbal thrashing of a lifetime. And Aryv was speaking from personal experience; the Andorian apparently managed to injure one of his antennae a couple months prior while trying to settle a bet involving a Jeffries tube and a bottle of Romulan ale. According to him, the lecture was of epic proportions. One of the other crewmembers involved was supposedly brought to tears by the guy.

Although, to be fair, Aryv also admitted that the other crewmate was still quite drunk by the time he was dragged to sickbay with a broken wrist. Either way, the CMO still hadn't let the incident go.

Will shivered, gripping his tricorder a little tighter as the turbo-lift carried him closer and closer to his untimely demise.

If that's how McCoy reacted to some random crewmembers' less-than-intelligent antics, Will didn't even want to know what he'd do to the ensign who managed to break the Captain's nose by dancing past him in the hallway.

The turbo-lift finally opened to reveal a relatively busy deck, although Will noted with some relief that it was significantly calmer than it had been a few hours before. He had helped transport some injured crewmembers to sickbay earlier, and even the few seconds he spent in the loud sea of constantly moving medical staff was enough to make his head spin.

The majority of Tactical work was done from computer consoles tucked on the outskirts of Decks 14 and 15, away from the main hustle and bustle of the Engineering sections, so even if one did have to cross through that area, at least there was enough space to make your way through without worrying about bumping into someone every other step. Medbay was downright tiny in comparison. Plus, there was a lot more blood there.

Will winced a little at the thought as he picked his way across the room, keeping his eyes fixed only on the area directly in front of him. It wasn't that he was _scared_ of blood. He wouldn't have gotten very far in Starfleet if he were. He just…preferred not to be the one dealing with gaping wounds or missing limbs if he could help it. That was all.

As he approached the nurse's station, Will did his best to keep an eye out for the CMO without accidentally getting an eyeful of any nasty injuries. Even though he was fairly certain McCoy had better things to do than yell at him for something that happened over three weeks ago, one could never be too careful. Especially with someone who had the kind of reputation McCoy did.

"Excuse me?" Will asked the nurse behind the station. The woman looked up from the PADD she had been working on and gave him a tight smile, her expression tinged with weariness.

"Yes? Is there something I can help you with, ensign?" she replied, eyes automatically scanning Piper's body in search of any obvious injury.

"I was sent by Engineering, they said something about some malfunctioning biobeds?" He shifted his weight a little, anxious to get the job done as swiftly as possible so he could get out of there. The nurse's eyes lit up in understanding, a little of the weariness seeming to drain away.

"Right! Thank you for coming so quickly, we didn't expect them to be able to spare anyone from the hull repairs for another couple of hours, at least," she said, relief seeping into her words. She stood up and walked around the station, beckoning for Will to follow her. "Come on, I'll show you which ones are having issues."

Will nodded, shooting her a small smile in return.

"So, how are things down in Engineering?" the nurse asked quietly as she led the way further into the room. "From the number of red-shirts we got in here, it seems like it was hit particularly hard."

"Well, I was mostly focused on the Tactical issues during the altercation, sir," Will explained, fiddling with his tricorder slightly. "But yes, Engineering was the hardest hit. The Klingons seemed to have a good idea of the layout of the ship, so we're guessing they were attempting to take out our warp core, leave us dead in the water, so to speak."

The nurse paused, turning briefly to look at Will skeptically.

"Don't call me sir, Ensign, I'm just a nurse. It's Garrote, or Joan if you like," she replied, turning back around to continue walking. Will smiled a little as he followed after her.

"Sure thing, Garrote."

**O*O*O*O*O*O*O*O**

Will had been working on the biobeds for almost half an hour, and he had only successfully repaired one of the three that were malfunctioning. Joan Garrote, the nurse, had left him to his own devices as soon as he began repairs, citing her need to be standing by at the station in case anyone needed her.

Will sighed, resigning himself to at least another hour of crouching awkwardly beside the blasted biobeds, elbow deep in circuits, wires, and sensor arrays.

_At least McCoy hasn't made an appearance over here yet,_ he reassured himself, sparing a quick glance over his shoulder to the rest of the bay just to make sure. One could never be too careful.

He shifted his weight a little, trying to maneuver his arm deeper into the machinery so he could re-calibrate the sensor output modulator. Whoever designed these things was a lunatic. Will made a mental note to file a complaint with the idiot who decided to bury important systems so far away from the access panel.

As he worked, Piper caught himself humming quietly under his breath more than once, but managed to quell it each time. It was certainly loud enough in sickbay for him to easily get away with his habit without being overheard, especially since no one had come within five feet of his workspace ever since he got there. But still. The compounding number of incidents related to his singing on duty had made him a little more cautious than usual.

Will strained to reach his arm further into the maintenance hatch so he could get ahold of the scanning control circuit board. He furrowed his brow when he felt his fingers brush the component, which seemed to have a couple more wires around it than his tricorder had reported.

_Oh, well,_ he shrugged internally. If his tricorder didn't pick it up, it was probably just some wiring that got moved around a little with all his poking and prodding. He just barely stopped himself from humming yet again as he struggled to maneuver the piece around so he could get a good grip on it, pressing his lips together in determination. _Come on, Piper. You can get one repair job done without humming to yourself. No big – _

"Ow!" Will's internal pep talk was interrupted by a painful zap of electricity, causing him to yank his hand out of the biobed and yelp in pain. "Damn it all!" he exclaimed, shaking his hand through the air to soothe the minor, but still painful, burn now decorating the knuckles of two of his fingers. He glared at the offending piece of equipment, though he was well aware that it was his own distracted mind that caused him to make such an obvious mistake.

_You idiot,_ he scolded himself, twisting slightly in his seated position to make sure his little outburst went unnoticed. Luckily, the room was carrying on as usual, no one seeming to notice Will's blunder. _Even amateur engineers know not to pull on wires before you figure out their function!_

Scowling, the ensign went back to his work, vowing to concentrate only on the job at hand from then on.

A few more minutes passed in silence, and Will found himself getting back into the swing of things fairly quickly, his earlier frustration all but vanished. His newfound determination to stay focused on his task allowed him to find, extract, and repair the component responsible for the second biobed's malfunctions in record time, and before he knew it, he was removing the maintenance cover for the third and final device.

Unfortunately, Will was so wrapped up in the repairs that he didn't even notice when he began humming under his breath again. By the time he had the biobed's main circuit board connected to his tricorder for a system diagnostic, the humming had turned into quiet singing.

_She packed my bags last night pre-flight_

_Zero hour, nine A.M._

_And I'm gonna be high as a kite by then. _

_I miss the Earth so much_

_I miss my wife_

_It's lonely out in space,_

_On such a timeless flight._

Will disconnected the tricorder from the biobed, having pinpointed the issue. One of the power convertors for this biobed had been overloaded, causing one of the circuit breakers to trip and some of the wiring to corrode. He settled down next to the bed and pulled out the materials he would need before reaching into the maintenance hatch to begin disconnecting the overloaded power convertor, which would have to be repaired and properly shut down before he could even begin to work on the circuit breaker or the wiring. His soft singing continued unnoticed throughout the process, his focus completely concentrated on the repairs.

_And I think it's gonna be a long long time_

'_Til touchdown brings me 'round again to find_

_I'm not the man they think I am at home,_

_Oh, no, no, no._

_I'm a rocket man_

_Rocket man burning out his fuse up here alone._

_Mars ain't the kind of place_

_To raise your kids._

_In fact it's cold as hell_

_And there's no one there to raise them if you did._

The power converter was a relatively easy fix, and Will had it plugged back into the biobed in no time, although he made sure to double check that it wouldn't start receiving power until he rebooted the command through the main circuit board. He wasn't in the mood to get burned again. That done, he carefully removed the circuit breaker, along with the two wires that had been corroded as a result of the power surge.

It was then that, had he been paying attention, Will would have noticed the sound of footsteps approaching his workspace from behind him. But the Ensign was still quite wrapped up in his task, and his quiet singing coupled with the background noise of the rest of the goings-on in sickbay provided a suitable cover for the light clicking of the approaching footsteps against the smooth floor. Piper continued on, blissfully unaware of his rapidly approaching audience.

_And all this science I don't understand_

_It's just my job five days a week_

_A rocket man, a rocket man_

_And I think it's gonna be a long long time, _

'_Til touchdown brings me 'round again to find_

_I'm not – _

"It's Piper, right?" a gruff voice with a slight southern twang interrupted Will's, causing the young crewmember to jump slightly and turn around as fast as possible to face the speaker.

And, upon realizing who the man was, Will promptly leapt to his feet to stand at attention, not so much out of necessity, but more out of fear. It was the one person he had been hoping _not_ to run into during his brief stint in the medbay, standing beside Joan Garrote, the nurse he'd spoken to earlier.

"D-Dr. McCoy, sir. I, uh, I didn't see you there," Will stammered, struggling to keep his professional front as he stood at attention. "I-Is there anything I can help you with, sir?"

McCoy raised an eyebrow, while Joan seemed to be struggling to keep herself from smiling, her formerly exhausted visage seeming to have faded since when they last parted ways. Will couldn't for the life of him figure out what she thought was so funny, but he didn't dwell long on the thought, quickly fixing his gaze firmly on the infamously grouchy CMO.

"At ease, kid, before you strain something," McCoy finally replied, scowling. He paused, seeming to register the terrified look on the young crewmember's face for the first time and taking on a slightly more confused look. Will's panicked brain, however, instantly assumed that the CMO's hesitation was a bad sign and began rushing to explain himself before the inevitable shit storm.

"Sir, if this is about the incident with the Captain last month, I promise it was an accident," he blurted, oblivious to McCoy's mounting confusion. "I mean, I know that's no excuse, sir, but I really didn't mean to break his nose! And I pay more attention now. I haven't listened to my music outside my quarters or at my station in weeks! Well, except for that one time when I also ran into Commander Spock, although one could argue that _he_ ran into _me_ – "

"Ensign!" McCoy interrupted him sharply. The trademark scowl was still there, but Will noted with some confusion that it was slightly less pronounced than it had been a moment ago. He glanced over at Garrote, who was now struggling to suppress her laughter, although a few chuckles managed to sneak out here and there, interrupting the silence brought on by McCoy's voice.

"Y-Yes, sir?" he finally managed to reply, eyes wide as he looked between McCoy and the giggling nurse beside him.

"I was just going to ask you about the status on the repairs. We have a couple patients that just got out of surgery and we need the extra space," he said, looking to the young ensign expectantly. Will felt his ears heat up in a blush.

"Oh. _Oh,_" he winced, looking behind him at the effectively gutted piece of technology behind him.

"Although," McCoy continued, ignoring the teen's obvious embarrassment. "It is nice to know that Kirk's nose was broken by a sixteen-year-old kid in the hallway, not in a supposed sparring match with a 'six foot five mountain of a security officer' like he told me when I asked the damn idiot about it last month."

Piper's jaw all but dropped in shock when McCoy not only refrained from yelling at him, but also…laughed after he finished speaking.

"Wh-uh, you…" Will trailed off, the words catching in his throat in his astonishment. He cleared his throat and tried a different approach.

"I-I'm actually 18, sir," he corrected quietly, half-expecting the CMO to snap back into the scary persona Aryv had told him about. Instead, the man just snorted, shaking his head amusedly.

"That ain't much better, kid. Hell, even Chekov looks older than you and he wears his 19 years just about as obviously as the Vulcan Ambassador wears his 163," McCoy replied, although his tone, yet again, was severly lacking in the malice that Aryv had assured Will was an ever-present aspect of the doctor's character. "I mean, you had to be, what, 16 when we launched?"

"Yes, sir," Will responded quickly, brain still half-frozen in shock at the strange turn in events.

"And ya managed to get on that damned hobgoblin's nerves as well as break the Captain's nose," McCoy summarized, crossing his arms as his mouth lifted up to a small smirk. Will dropped his gaze.

"Yes, sir," he confirmed dejectedly. Having lowered his eyes to the floor, Will didn't notice McCoy's incoming hand until it had already clapped his shoulder appreciatively. The teen jumped slightly and quickly looked back up at him.

"Kid, I think you just made my day," the CMO pronounced before dropping the hand and starting to turn away.

"Um, s-sir?" Will called uncertainly, shifting his weight from foot to foot in an attempt to relieve some of the nervous energy that had arisen from the strange encounter. McCoy stopped and turned back, raising an eyebrow in an obvious 'go ahead' expression. "Beds 17 and 18 are all set, and I'm almost done with 19. It'll be good to go in another 5 minutes."

McCoy gave him a quick nod before turning away again, the slight smirk still solidly adorned on his face. Joan hesitated a moment before following after the CMO, grinning at Piper's confused expression.

"You really did make his day, you know," she said quietly, almost whispering. "I could tell he thought your singing was funny, but the whole spiel about Kirk and Spock was really the icing on the cake."

Will groaned, burying his face in his hands.

"I was singing again? And you both heard me?" he mumbled into his hands sadly. "I am such an idiot."

Joan laughed lightly, taking a step closer to the young man and bumping his shoulder companionably.

"Maybe," she replied amusedly. "But still, it's been a rough 24 hours, and usually McCoy doesn't smile in any way, shape, or form, unless it's around the Captain or a bottle of whiskey. Especially after the day we've had. Anyway, good luck with bed 19."

With that, she turned and began walking in the direction McCoy had disappeared to, her steps a little lighter than they had been before.

"Yeah, thanks," Will replied, mostly to himself.

He did his best to shake off the shock of the whole encounter before settling back down to finish up his repairs. His confusion in no way detracted from the fact that he wasn't a fan of sickbay to begin with, regardless of the CMO's temperament. He still wanted to get the hell out of there as soon as possible.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4:

Risk-Free

* * *

"'_This must be Thursday,' said Arthur to himself, slinking low over his beer. 'I never could get the hang of Thursdays'."_

_\- Douglas Adams, 'The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy'_

* * *

"Aryv, I want to let you know that I'm currently planning your murder," Will stated matter-of-factly as he plopped his food down and dropped into a seat across from his Andorian friend. Em looked up from her place at the end of the table, where she had been deep in conversation with Tala.

"You too?" she chirped, shooting a playful glare in Aryv's direction. "Maybe we can pool our resources and do it together."

Will grinned, leaning back to address the redhead directly.

"I'd like that. I have some great ideas for messing with his sonic shower," he replied lightly. "I'm thinking…pink hair dye and some glitter to finish off the look."

Em laughed and began to formulate a reply, but Aryv butted into the conversation nervously.

"Hey, hey! Let's all take a step back here, folks. You haven't even told me what I did to deserve all this!" he exclaimed, gesturing frantically at his two conspiring friends.

Will turned back to Em, smirking at his former roommate's unsettled demeanor.

"What'd he do to you?" he asked. At this point, even T'Kian seemed interested in the exchange, halting his conversation with Leon to watch the proceedings. Em snorted in response, crossing her arms reproachfully.

"He put a general announcement up in all the rec rooms that I was holding 'free venting sessions' in my quarters every night after Alpha shift," she explained, eyes still shooting daggers at the Andorian. "You know me! I can't handle…people! Not when they're all…sad or whatever!" Em threw her arms up in exasperation, sputtering at the absurdity of it all.

Will bit back a chuckle, well aware that to laugh was to incur the wrath of the fiery young woman. Luckily, she continued on without noticing his struggle.

"I'm a Xenobiologist, you _arschgeige_, not a counsellor! I had random crewmembers show up at my door bawling their eyes out about some relationship problem or stupid mistake they made during their shift and I had to sit there and try to comfort them! It was awful." She huffed as her short outburst drew to a halt, her disgruntled, slightly murderous, expression daring anyone to laugh about her misfortune.

Leon seemed to be the only one unperturbed by the dangerous look in his sister's eye, and burst into laughter as soon as she finished talking. He received a solid punch to the upper arm for his reaction, but, to his credit, he didn't let the punishment deter him. Instead, he spouted a few quick sentences to his sister in German, the words littered with laughter.

Rolling her eyes at her brother, Em turned to Will, who was still struggling to keep his own amusement under wraps.

"So? What about you?" she asked, crossing her arms.

"You remember my…incident with the Captain last month?" he asked resignedly. Em nodded, having taken a spoonful of her tomato soup. "Well Aryv thought it'd be funny to convince me that the CMO was out to get me because of the whole thing."

Will's gaze shot to Aryv as the Andorian started to chuckle. Apparently, the young Tactical ensign wasn't as frightening as their mutual German friend. Will shot him another glare, which did next to nothing to stop his former roommate's outward display of amusement, before continuing.

"_Anyway,_ I've been doing everything in my power to avoid McCoy for the past month because of Aryv's big dramatic lecture about what the CMO does to people he's mad at! Do you have any idea what it's like to have to look over your shoulder everywhere you go, terrified that you'd see a pissed off, deranged southerner chasing after you at any moment? I've hidden in Jeffries tubes, I've ducked behind other crewmembers like some kind of weirdo…hell, I even dove head first into a closing turbo-lift when I saw him walking towards me on deck 8 last week! And I did _all this_, only to find out yesterday that not only does the guy not know who I am, but thought the entire incident was amusing!" Will concluded his story with a huff, still glaring at Aryv halfheartedly from across the table.

Em, Leon, and Aryv didn't even bother trying to stifle their laughter. Although T'Kian predictably didn't join them, Will thought he saw the Vulcan's lips twitch upward for a moment before returning to his usual nonplussed expression.

"Oh, come on, that was funny!" Aryv protested, still laughing. "It isn't my fault you took it seriously! Besides, Leon helped me out too, and I don't see you going after him. "

Will shook his head, pressing his lips together in mock contemplation.

"Hmm…Do I care?" he paused, picking up his fork again before continuing. "…Nope, I don't think I do. And as far as I'm concerned, Leon got his comeuppance two weeks ago in the form of his lovely sister chasing him around the rec room with a shoe for his prank in her quarters, remember? Speaking of…Em, when are you free to start planning our revenge?"

The scientist's laughter had died down, now restricted to the occasional chuckle, so she had no problem responding quickly.

"I'm free now," she announced before picking up her bowl and hastily slurping the rest of the soup. "Anyone else care to join us?"

Aryv's laughter died in his throat.

"Now, hold on just a minute!" he protested, looking between Will and Em as they stood and began to gather their dishes. Will turned back and smirked at his friend.

"It's too late, Aryv. You brought this on yourself," he informed the gaping Andorian.

"Well?" Em swept her gaze across the other members of the group. Leon looked between Aryv and his two victims only briefly before responding to his sister's call.

"Ah, what the hell. Not the first prank war I've gotten involved in," he finally shrugged, standing up to join the other two.

Tala and T'Kian exchanged glances before the half-Betazoid responded for the both of them.

"Yeah, we're good. I think it'll be more interesting to…observe from afar. Right T'Kian?" she said, a small smile decorating her lips.

"Indeed," the Vulcan tipped his head, dark eyes lifting briefly to scrutinize Will, Em, and Leon.

"Fine by me," Em decided, grabbing her brother's sleeve with her free hand and beginning to drag him away. "Let's get to it, boys."

Three days later, Ensign Ch'vehlat reported for duty on the bridge with glittery purple hair, mismatched socks, and a decidedly disgruntled expression.

**O*O*O*O*O*O**

"You sure you've got everything?" Aryv asked, jogging slightly to keep up with Will's fast pace down the hallway.

"Yes, Aryv, I'm sure!" Will replied, tossing an exasperated look over his shoulder at his friend. "Quit worrying, man! It's just a follow-up meeting, and Kirk needed someone to bring some extra PADDS for all the forms they have to fill out. The Qolis people have already proven themselves to be a relatively peaceful species and a promising addition to the Federation. Their lifestyle is a little old-fashioned, sure, but they have asteroid mining techniques that could rival the Romulans'! Besides, Captain Kirk wouldn't have asked me to help out the away team if it were dangerous."

"Yeah, but since when has a 'risk-free' away mission ever gone well for the Enterprise?" Aryv retorted, grabbing Piper's shoulder to bring him to a halt.

"Hey - " Will instinctual yelp of protest cut off abruptly as soon as he registered the deadly serious look in Aryv's dark brown eyes.

"I'm not kidding, Will," the Andorian said quietly, his gaze firmly fixed on his friend. "Promise me you'll be careful."

"I promise," Will nodded, lips pressed in a firm line. Aryv studied his face a moment longer before finally dropping his hand from Piper's shoulder and allowing him to continue down the hallway.

"Good. 'Cause I still have to get you back for the sonic shower incident, and I can't mess with you if you're blown to pieces," Aryv joked, his normal demeanor returning just as quickly as it had disappeared.

"Hey, that was a team effort, you know," Will smirked as the pair slowed to a stop outside the transporter room. "If you're gonna get revenge, make sure you dole it out evenly amongst all the involved parties."

Aryv chuckled at that, although Will didn't miss the anxious look the Navigator donned at the sight of the door leading into the transporter room.

"Well, I'll see you in a few hours," Will slowed to a stop in front of the transporter room, absentmindedly tapping his fingers against his thigh to keep himself occupied. It was his first real away mission after all…one that involved a new species, that is, and although he'd never admit it to Aryv, he _was_ feeling just the tiniest bit nervous.

Aryv, who'd stopped in the hallway next to him, seemed to study him for a moment before replying.

"Sure thing, roomie," he answered, offering a little smile and a quick pat on the shoulder before he started to continue down the hall.

"And you'd better not touch my stuff while I'm gone, Ch'Vehlat!" Will called over his shoulder, smirking at the rude gesture the Andorian gave in response.

Just then, his communicator beeped with an incoming transmission, and Will fumbled to unclip it from his belt.

"Piper here," he answered quickly, taking a step forward to enter the transporter room.

"Quit dragging your feet, Piper, Ensign Langley is waiting for you at the arrival coordinates," Tao's gruff voice sounded over the comm. Will winced, sneaking a sheepish glance at the transporter technician, who at least had the courtesy to pretend like she couldn't hear the conversation.

"Yes, sir. Sorry, sir. I'm in transporter room 1 now, I'll be down shortly," he responded quickly, nodding to the technician as he moved toward the transporters themselves.

"Contact me when you join Kirk and the others. Tao out."

Will snapped the communicator shut and clipped it back to his belt before checking over the equipment he was tasked with bringing to the surface one more time.

"Arrival coordinates locked in," the technician announced from behind the console, dutifully keeping her eyes focused on her workstation.

Will adjusted the bag he was carrying over his shoulder one last time before responding to the technician, making an effort to keep his voice cool and collected; the picture of professionalism, as it were.

"Energize," he stated firmly.

_Honestly, it's just a diplomatic meeting,_ he scoffed internally, even as the familiar tingling sensation of the transporter began to envelop him and the Enterprise slowly faded away. _What could go wrong with something as boring as that?_

**O*O*O*O*O*O**

"What the hell happened in that meeting?!" Will shouted to Ensign Langley, struggling to be heard over the deafening sounds of explosions and phaser fire all around them.

"How am I supposed to know?" Langley cried in return, ducking behind the pile of rubble the two of them were using as a defensive post as yet another explosion sounded not too far from their position.

Will snuck a peek over the top of the pile of rocks, phaser held at the ready. He grunted in frustration at the low visibility: plumes of dust that had taken over the area, making it near impossible to tell how many assailants there were, or exactly _where_ they were, for that matter. All the unknown variables were starting to make him the slightest bit panicked; his breath was coming in short pants and his heart seemed to be attempting to burst right out of his chest…although strangely enough, his hands were completely steady. He wouldn't have a problem with his aim, at least.

_But even if I don't die here, Aryv's smug little 'I told you so' when we get back will probably kill me off instead,_ Will groaned to himself, struggling to scan over the clearing for any sign of where their attackers may be hiding.

"Everything was going fine when I left to get you!" Langley continued, still crouching defensively behind the pile of rubble.

Another phaser blast soared just over Will's head, and he ducked down again with a quiet yelp, his boots sliding a little in the dirt before he managed to catch himself. Both ensigns were thoroughly covered in mud and dust thanks to the constant weapons fire around them, although neither had been seriously injured…which was in of itself a miracle, since the two of them had been standing mere feet away from the first building to be demolished by a sizeable weapons blast. Not even Langley's face had been spared, the combination of dirt and soot making him look like a zombie from one of those old horror movies. Based on the copious amount of dirt that had found its way into Will's mouth, he was pretty sure he sported a similar look.

"Well obviously everything is _not fine _now, Langley!" Will snapped at the older ensign, the combination of confusion and frustration at their current situation making his temper a little shorter than normal. "We need to find Kirk and the rest of the landing party. I only got a glimpse of them near the town square before the first building collapsed, did you see where they went?"

Langley shot the other ensign an annoyed look at his small outburst, but seemed to let it go considering the circumstances. He set his phaser down for a moment in order to take out his communicator, poking at it impatiently.

"No, and I still can't get through to anyone on comms! You?" he shouted hoarsely.

Will unclipped the device from his belt, holding it out to the other ensign to inspect.

"I told you, man, it's broken! And I don't have the tools to fix it here!" As soon as he finished speaking, the device sparked angrily, as if to accentuate his claim.

Langley seemed to sigh, dropping the issue, and squinted his eyes as he shifted to look around the area for any sign of the others.

Will turned to the opposite direction, periodically scanning the other side of the barrier to make sure no one tried to sneak up on them. The deafening explosions didn't let up for even a moment, but Will couldn't for the life of him figure out what they were firing _at_, whoever they were.

While the unrelenting weapons fire and conveniently timed attack made it seem as though the unknown assailants were targeting the Enterprise crew members, every tactical bone in Will's body was telling him otherwise. It couldn't be the Enterprise's landing party they were after; why waste so much ammunition on a measly group of 5 carrying minimal weaponry? It was more likely that they had just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.

_But even if we aren't the target, it doesn't seem like these people care much for who gets caught in the crossfire,_ Will thought grimly, sneaking another look over the barrier to ensure no one was attempting to creep up on them.

"Piper!" Langley called, snapping Will out of his thoughts abruptly. He ducked back below the rubble quickly before answering.

"What is it?" he asked loudly, voice breaking off into a small coughing fit from the slowly increasing amount of soot and dust accumulating in the air.

"I'm pretty sure I saw someone with a red shirt duck behind one of the buildings at the edge of town, about 150 yards that way," Langley responded, pointing in the opposite direction of the origin of the weapons' fire. "All the locals wore earth toned clothing, it had to be the security officer that came down with Kirk and McCoy!"

Will turned in the direction he indicated, squinting in an attempt to see past all the dust. He shook his head after a moment, giving up.

"I can't see anything except the silhouettes of some buildings, man!" he admitted, shifting his weight nervously. "But if you're sure…"

"I'm sure," Langley interjected hastily, eyes taking on a steely determination. Will studied him for a moment before making up his mind.

"Alright," he nodded, coughing a few more times to dispel the dust from his throat. "But we need to go slow, move from cover to cover."

Langley smiled a little at that, his bright white teeth contrasting starkly with the rest of his dust and soot-covered body.

"Maneuver Tango-6, it is then," he shouted, causing a brief smirk to cross Will's face.

"Just like Commander Berkley's class at the academy," he agreed. "You take point."

And with that, the two ensigns began the slow and arduous task of maneuvering their way through the rubble of the formerly peaceful alien town.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5:

Hey, You!

* * *

"_Don't panic."_

_\- Douglas Adams, 'The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy'_

* * *

Ensigns Piper and Langley were only about halfway across the town square when the weapons fire suddenly stopped, leaving a ringing silence in its wake. The two crewmembers, who had been preparing to make a dash for what looked like the remains of the town library, froze in place, unsure what to make of the new development.

"Why'd they stop?" Will whispered to his companion, struggling not to cough and hack at the debris-filled air that had gotten progressively worse the longer they lingered within the town's limits.

Langley didn't respond in words, opting to press a finger to his lips and level Piper with a look that clearly said, 'hell if I know'. Will grimaced and lifted himself slightly from his half-kneeling position, just high enough to peer cautiously over the pile of smoldering wood they were using as temporary cover.

The air was too saturated with dust and smoke to be able to see very far, but one of the suns was starting to set off in the horizon, allowing the young ensign to just make out the silhouettes of a large group of people, heading directly toward them. Will's eyes widened and he dove back down for cover, gripping Langley's arm tightly with one hand and re-drawing his phaser with the other.

"We have to move," Will whispered urgently, eyes already scanning around the area for any defensible positions. "At least 10 guys, about 200 yards out."

Langley's eyes widened at his companion's warning, and he hurriedly drew his phaser as well. Thinking quickly, Will's eyes darted around the clearing before finally settling on the partially collapsed building they had planned on hiding behind earlier.

_That'll have to do,_ he decided, getting Langley's attention and signaling to follow him around the left side of the building, where there was more cover. The other ensign caught on quickly, since being able to communicate with hand signaling was a skill required of all tactical and security ensigns in Starfleet. He nodded, gripping his phaser tightly, and followed Will as they slowly made their way towards their target.

Luckily for them, the dust and smoke had yet to clear from the air, although Will noted with some worry that a breeze was starting to thin it a little. They had to move quickly, but quietly, if they wanted to get to cover without being spotted by the unknown aggressors. Now that the explosions had stopped, the town was eerily quiet save for the occasional shifting of burning wood and piles of rubble.

Given that the town had been relatively well-populated at the time of the attack, Will endeavored to ignore the more disturbing possibility he drew from the lack of noise: that he and Langley were the only survivors.

Will shoved the thought aside as quickly as it had surfaced, forcing himself to focus on the task at hand.

_If anyone can get himself and his crew out of this, it's Kirk,_ he reassured himself as he picked his way towards the building. _We just need to stay alive till we can regroup with the others._

He barely had time to finish his thought before a particularly strong gust of wind tore through the town, causing a smoldering support beam to topple over right next to where the two ensigns were slinking along. Will and Langley couldn't help but release startled yelps at the sudden crash to their right, which caused not only a great deal of noise, but also a flurry of sparks to rise up from the large piece of wood.

The two had only a moment to register this new development before they heard loud voices and quickened feet originating from behind them. Will and Langley exchanged a wide-eyed look before simultaneously taking off in a run towards the collapsed building, all attempts at being quiet tossed aside in favor of getting the hell out of there as fast as their tired legs could carry them.

Will couldn't help but look over his shoulder a couple times as he threw himself over the piles of rubble, each peek only fueling his urge to get out of the open. Their pursuers were quickly gaining on them, their movements much more practiced and agile than either of the ensigns, who were used to running on academy-regulated tracks and through starships. The uneven, dangerous minefield of debris they found themselves scrambling through now was not working to their advantage.

Even so, their desperation fueled them forward, and soon enough the side of the building was within reach. Langley reached it first, having the advantage of longer legs, and Will caught a glimpse of his companion drawing his phaser before disappearing behind the mostly-intact wall.

Will put in an extra burst of speed, already preparing himself to draw his phaser and catch their opponents by surprise. And then he heard the echo of a weapon discharging somewhere behind him, and half a beat later, his right leg erupted in pain.

It was all he could do to dive for cover behind the wall where Langley was waiting, panting heavily and struggling to pull himself closer to the side of the wall so as not to be spotted right away. Gritting his teeth, he sat up and drew his weapon, pointing it in the direction he'd just come from. He didn't have to wait long. The two natives, both male, came barreling around the corner a moment later, and Will and Langley fired without hesitation, dropping the two without so much as a whimper.

Langley shot out immediately, kicking their weapons away before returning to the relative shelter of the wall. Will, once the immediate danger had passed, dropped his shaking arms and leaned his head back against the cool stone, doing his best to look anywhere but his right leg, which felt hot and sticky just above his knee and was throbbing in time with his heartbeat. Langley crouched beside him, face paling as he caught sight of Will's injured leg.

"Looks like it nicked an artery. Damn," he whispered, looking up suddenly and scanning the area as if expecting to find a conveniently-placed box of medical supplies somewhere. Will chucked humorlessly.

"Damn is right, man," he replied quietly, shifting his weight a little and wincing in pain and struggling to hold back vomit as something crunched unnaturally within his wounded limb. "There's no way I can walk on this. You need to go on ahead without me."

Langley's face went a shade paler, if possible, the dark smears of soot and dirt only making the response more noticeable.

"No, no, I'm not gonna just leave you here, Piper!" he hissed, leaning back to look around the wall briefly before focusing back on his crewmate. "Maybe if I – "

"Langley!" Will interrupted him, attempting to put on a brave face for the sake of the other ensign. "I'm not asking you to leave me here to die, man! Just…make sure I won't bleed to death and help me get to a more defensible position. Then you can go on and look for help, ok? We don't have much time till the others notice their buddies are missing and come looking for them. Kirk is probably at the edge of the town with the others, he'll know what to do."

The other man opened his mouth to argue, but Will cut him off again.

"Look, I'll be fine, ok? You'll go much faster without my fat ass slowing you down," Will joked, although his heart wasn't really in it. Damn, his leg really hurt. A lot.

Langley hesitated briefly, but eventually nodded in assent.

"Okay. First thing's first. You don't happen to have a first-aid kit, do ya?"

Will snorted, leaning his head back once more now that they were in agreement.

"No. This was supposed to be a peaceful meeting, remember? And besides, McCoy was already down here, I figured he'd have that area covered. My hands were full of PADDS, in case you didn't notice," he said quietly, starting to feel just the slightest bit dizzy, even though he wasn't moving. That couldn't be good.

He heard Langley stand up slowly, moving closer to the two bodies of their assailants. Will cracked an eye open, curious to see what the guy was doing.

When he turned back around, he held a long strip of fabric, most likely torn from the man's shirt, along with a large piece of splintered wood.

"Yeah, I figured the same thing. Teach us to go unprepared, huh?" Langley asked, kneeling back down next to Will. "But lucky for you, I also happened to take the elective class about remote survival techniques at the academy, and they made us practice making tourniquets out of all sorts of random shit for the final, just like they did back in the good old pre-Federation days."

He paused and glanced at Will uncomfortably before starting to twist the torn fabric to resemble a rope. His gaze stayed firmly fixed on his makeshift tourniquet as he spoke up again, his voice a little less joking than before.

"But, uh, not so lucky for you, this…won't feel too nice. You…might want to use your shirt as a gag."

Will's head snapped up, staring at the other ensign somewhat fearfully.

"You'd better be yanking my chain, Langley."

**O*O*O*O*O*O*O**

Needless to say, Langley hadn't been exaggerating. If it weren't for the balled-up section of his shirt stuffed in his mouth, Will was sure he would have alerted half the planet of their location. Luckily, it was over quickly, and he managed to drag himself into what was left of the building with Langley's help before the other ensign set off again in search of Kirk and the rest of the away team.

Will's leg throbbed terribly, but the dim lighting of the partially collapsed room he was sitting in made it easier for him to keep his eyes away from what was sure to be a nasty sight. Instead, he focused on listening, phaser drawn and at the ready in case some of the attackers stumbled upon his hiding place. Langley had helped him settle down in the left corner of the room, close enough to the entrance to fire upon any attackers quickly, but far enough away to be mostly hidden in the shadows.

The first few minutes of listening yielded nothing, which he was immensely grateful for…at first. As the silence stretched on, Will began to grow a little unnerved. His ears, in straining to pick up anything, started to interpret the slightest noise as belonging to a particularly stealthy attacker, be it the wind whistling slightly through the cracks in the stone walls or the crackling of flames or even his own breathing. It didn't help that the slight dizzy feeling had yet to go away, making it feel as though the floor was tilting and swaying beneath him.

But just as he was beginning to get used to the background noise of the place, he heard someone whispering. The sound seemed to be originating from somewhere deeper in the room, but his eyes hadn't adjusted to the change in lighting enough to see very well. It didn't seem likely that the attackers would wait so long before making themselves known to an obviously injured combatant, so Will decided to take a chance.

"Hello?" he whispered hesitantly into the small space, silently praying that he'd not just made a fatal mistake. "Is someone there?"

A beat of silence, and then came the reply, spoken just as softly into the darkness.

"Who are you?"

Will's heart clenched at the sound of the voice; it obviously belonged to a child. A terrified, possibly injured, little kid. He shifted forward a little in an attempt to get a look at them, stifling a groan as the action jostled his injured leg.

"My name's Will. I'm one of the crewmembers from Enterprise, we were meeting with your town to…talk about grown-up stuff," he said softly, struggling to figure out how to engage a traumatized child in conversation without scaring them too much. "What's your name?"

The other occupant of the room hesitated, and Will waited silently, not wanting to push them. He was no psychologist, he had no idea how a kid might react in a situation like this. And if this particular kiddo was a crier…well, the two of them probably wouldn't last very long.

Finally, Will caught a hint of movement from the opposite corner of the room, and, very slowly, the shapes of..._three_ small bodies emerged, inching their way towards where he sat. They briefly passed through a section of the room with enough light shining through the entrance for Will to catch a glimpse of their faces. There were two boys, who couldn't have been older than 5 (at least by Terran standards), each clinging to the hands of a girl, who looked about 8. They were all covered with dirt and soot, just as Will was, although he noted with some relief that none seemed to be injured aside from some cuts and bruises. Their wide eyes almost seemed to glow in identical shades of striking amber, even in the darkness. Despite the decidedly unsanitary nature of their surroundings, the two boys each had the thumb of their unoccupied hand firmly planted in their mouths.

When the odd trio reached him, the girl eyed him carefully, as if expecting him to jump up and attack them at any moment. Will did his best to appear nonthreatening, offering a small smile to the little girl and keeping his phaser resting on his lap. The two boys stayed silent, sucking at their thumbs methodically.

After a moment, the girl nodded minutely, lowering herself to the ground near Will, herding the two younger ones to sit in between her and the adult.

"I'm Liriz. These are my brothers, Imun and Aati," the girl finally replied, wrapping her arms around herself protectively. "Do you know where our parents are?"

The little girl – Liriz – seemed to be quickly losing her ability to stay tough now that she was no longer required to look after the younger boys on her own.

"It's nice to meet you, Liriz. And you, Imun and Aati," Will whispered, scrambling to find something to say to keep her calm, and therefore quiet, until Langley returned, hopefully with the rest of the away team in tow. "I, uh, I'm not sure where your parents are, but don't worry, kiddo. My friends will be coming back soon and they'll be more than happy to help you look for them, alright?"

Liriz nodded, but even with the dim lighting, Will could tell that she was toeing the edge of a full-on breakdown. Completely understandable, given the circumstances, but now was definitely not the time. Being careful not to move his injured leg too much, Will slowly stretched his right arm out to rest over the three children's shoulders in an attempt to comfort them.

"I know this is scary, guys, but it'll be ok…I promise," he whispered. "My captain will be here soon. His name is James Kirk, and he always finds a way to get everyone home safe. If anyone can find your parents, it's him."

His words seemed to have little effect on the two boys, who continued sucking their thumbs diligently. Liriz, however, seemed to grow even more upset, and Will was rapidly running out of ideas.

He could no longer feel his injured leg at any point below the makeshift tourniquet, something Langley had warned him would happen, although the site where Langley had tied the twisted cloth around his leg still hurt like hell. Either way, whatever meagre amount of maneuverability he had possessed before was long gone now, of that he had no doubt. He couldn't get them to safety, he couldn't tell them where their parents were, and everything he said just seemed to make the little girl more upset.

_Some Tactical Ensign you turn out to be, Piper_, Will scolded himself internally. _Can't keep a few kids calm, can't get the stupid communicator working, can't even fix a damned biobed without…_

Will froze, his dizzy and overworked brain struggling to keep up with his internal monologue.

…_without singing to yourself._

Suddenly, an unbidden memory slipped to the forefront of his thoughts: his mother's voice humming quietly to him as he sat on her lap, his knees freshly bandaged after a nasty fall from his new bicycle.

And almost before Will realized what he was doing, he heard himself, very _very_ quietly, start to sing.

_Hey Jude, don't make it bad_

_Take a sad song and make it better _

_Remember to let her into your heart_

_Then you can start to make it better._

The three children seemed to stiffen in surprise at first, but Will's hand, still solidly in place on Liriz's back, detected a palpable difference in her posture as he continued to sing to them at a whisper.

_Hey Jude, don't be afraid_

_You were made to go out and get her_

_The minute you let her under your skin_

_Then you begin to make it better._

_And anytime you feel the pain_

_Hey, Jude, refrain_

_Don't carry the world upon your shoulder_

_For well you know that it's the fool_

_Who plays it cool_

_By making his world a little colder. _

Will let his voice fade into quiet humming, sensing the kids' slightly calmer state and silently hoping that they would fall asleep. Sleeping kids don't ask questions or get panicked, after all.

There was also the small matter of Will's leg: he was still steadfastly refusing to look at the injury, well aware that to do so would only make things worse for himself. He didn't have to see it to know that it wasn't good. He was finding it harder and harder to focus on anything, including the lyrics to the song, kept having to shake himself awake, and somehow felt both freezing cold and hot as hell at the same time. Needless to say, he wasn't having the best afternoon of his life.

Nonetheless, he kept humming quietly to the kids, struggling to keep himself alert and focused on listening for any sign of an attacker.

_Although if any of those goons do get in here, I_ _don't know how well I'll be able to aim at them, _Will frowned, lifting his phaser shakily from his lap with his left hand. He could only hold it up for a few seconds before the shaking grew so bad that his arm practically gave out, and he had to stop humming for a minute to catch his breath. He picked back up as soon as he could, though, for the kids' sake.

Even if Langley and the others returned too late to save him, the kids might be alright as long as they remained quiet. Will may not be able to get them to safety himself, but he could help keep them calm until the others found them, at least. It was better than nothing.

He briefly wondered what Aryv and the others were doing right then; if they even knew that something had gone wrong. Spock likely knew by now, seeing as they were supposed to beam back aboard hours ago, but Will had no clue as to who else had been notified. Navigations probably wasn't the first department Spock would consult about an away mission gone wrong, though, so it was likely that Aryv was in the dark.

Will was brought out of his hazy musings by a slight noise coming from outside. It was quiet, barely noticeable, but he immediately tightened his grip on his phaser and locked his gaze on the entrance to the room. He kept up his quiet humming, though, not wanting to alert the kids that anything was amiss. It was barely above a whisper anyway, and stopping now could tip off their new visitors that he knew they were there. With him being in the state he was, the only real advantage he had left was the element of surprise.

Another noise, this time much closer to the entrance of the room, had Will sitting up as much as he could, ignoring the pain of his leg and struggling to clear his head of the heavy fog that had settled over his thoughts. As a third sound, one that sounded like someone whispering just outside the entrance to the room, Will stopped humming and shakily lifted his phaser, focusing his swimming gaze on the area where the attackers would enter.

There was a flash of movement, and Will's finger tightened on the trigger…only to stop abruptly at the sight of the newcomer's face.

"Langley?"


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Thanks to everyone who followed/favorited this story, it's been really fun to write! Thanks especially to BabySlothXYaoi for the review: it made my day and gave me the extra push I needed to finally finish this chapter. Hope you enjoy!**

* * *

Chapter 6:

Allegedly Normal

* * *

"_We have normality. I repeat, we have normality. Anything you still can't cope with is therefore your own problem." _

_-Douglas Adams, 'Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy'_

* * *

Will kept his phaser up just in case his mind was playing tricks on him, but it was shaking so badly he wasn't sure it would do much good anyway.

"Glad to see you're still in one piece, Piper," Langley answered, taking a step closer and leaning forward slightly as he caught sight of the three small bodies huddled against the ensign's right side. "Got yourself some company too, huh?"

Liriz whimpered quietly, shuffling a little closer to Will and accidentally pushing Imun, who was closest to the ensign, into his injured leg. Will's grip on the little girl's shoulder tightened slightly and he couldn't hold back the quiet yelp of pain that accompanied the action.

"It's ok, Liriz, he's…he's one of the friends I was telling you about," he assured, his words slurring slightly and his head slumping further at the rush of dizziness that sent his ears ringing for a few seconds. He wasn't aware that he was drifting off till Langley's sharp voice snapped him back to attention.

"Piper! Stay awake, man, McCoy's with Kirk and Walsh by the next building over. I just gotta give 'em the all clear, alright?" Langley hissed, giving Will's face a brisk pat for good measure before swiftly striding back to the entrance.

Will didn't bother replying, instead sliding his tired gaze over to the three frightened children to his right.

"It's ok, kiddos, my friends are coming to help us out now, just like I said," he squeezed Liriz's shoulder reassuringly, although the little girl was still noticeably shaking. "Everything's gonna be alright."

The sound of footsteps outside drew the four companions' attention to the entrance, where three figures, clad in gold, blue, and red, ducked into the room a moment later. Langley stepped aside to let them pass before drawing in Kirk and Walsh, the security officer, for a hushed conversation just to the right of the entrance.

Will was having a hard time keeping his head up, but the blue shirt that accompanied the pair of boots moving toward him at a rapid pace made it easy to tell which of his four shipmates they belonged to.

The boots faltered slightly as the owner no doubt caught sight of Will's three new friends but seemed to shake off the surprise easily enough, since McCoy's dirt-smudged and stressed face came into view a moment later. He knelt next to Will, setting down a small case of emergency medical equipment on the floor next to him.

"Nice to see you're making friends, Piper," the doctor spoke up gruffly, but at a much lower volume than Will was expecting. Up until this point, he had been fairly certain that the man's vocal cords were incapable of producing any words that weren't loud, southern, and slightly scolding in nature. The southern twang was still there, as was the grouchiness, but it was nice to know that the volume could be adjusted, at least.

"Are they injured?" McCoy continued, breaking Will out of his train of thought. He blinked, glancing at the kids and giving them a reassuring smile before turning back to the CMO.

"No, sir, they're ok" he responded quietly. "They were hiding in here before Langley and I found the place."

McCoy huffed, pulling out a scanner and waving it around Will's leg just as Langley's face also came into view.

"You still with us, Piper?" the other tactical ensign asked.

Will nodded tiredly in response, the last of his energy beginning to ebb now that he knew Kirk and the others would be able to protect the kids.

"I can't do much down here except keep him from losing any more blood, the femur's been fractured just above the knee," McCoy muttered, more to himself than anyone else. "Wound's filled with dirt and who knows what else. Damned alien planets…"

Will's mouth twitched into a small smile as the CMO rummaged through the kit, still muttering under his breath.

"It's a good thing we managed to get a message to Enterprise, then," Langley commented quietly, looking over his shoulder to where the Captain was still talking with Walsh. "Spock should be sending a security team down soon to cover our beam-out. Then we can regroup on Enterprise and maybe figure out what the devil's going on down here."

McCoy, who was still muttering to himself as he used some doo-higgy on Will's leg, didn't bother with much of a response besides adding some less-than-polite comments about 'supposed Vulcan timeliness' and 'gun-toting maniacs' to his quiet tirade.

As for Will, the news of successful contact with the ship had him breathing a sigh of relief. He was definitely ready to get off this planet and back to the blank hallways and dull routine of Enterprise. Hell, he'd even volunteer to go back to Gamma shift on the bridge if it got him out of there faster.

"Will?"

The quiet, fear-filled voice yanked Will out of his thoughts, and he immediately snapped his head up to face the little girl who he still had his arm wrapped around protectively. He vaguely heard Kirk and the others stop what they were doing as the child spoke up for the first time since they'd arrived, but he kept his focus on her and her brothers.

"What's wrong, Liriz? Are you ok?" he whispered quickly, almost forgetting to keep his voice down.

The little girl's face was difficult to make out clearly in the darkening room, especially with the soot and dirt covering her small face. But the darkness only served to make her wide, striking amber eyes that much more noticeable. And he could clearly see that she was dangerously close to tears again.

Liriz sniffled quietly before speaking up, eyes darting around the room nervously.

"You said that your friends would help us find our parents," she whispered, scooting a little closer to her brothers as she spoke. "Can you – can you ask them to help us look now, please? I really want my momma."

Uh-oh. Will could tell it was only a matter of time before she broke down completely, and a quick glance up to McCoy and Langley confirmed his suspicions that neither of them knew what to say to the scared children either.

"R-right, uh…you see that guy over there?" Will lifted a shaky hand to point to Kirk, who had stopped talking to Walsh when Liriz spoke up but hadn't attempted to get any closer, probably sensing that the children wouldn't react well to being completely surrounded by strangers. Liriz briefly looked to where Will was pointing and nodded.

"Well, that's my captain. I told you about him earlier, remember?" he asked hesitantly. Liriz seemed to think for a moment before nodding again. "He's gonna help you guys as soon as he can, I promise. He just…needs to figure out what's going on first so he can stop the bad guys out there, ok?"

Will stopped, waiting on bated breath for the little girl's response.

"But…what if the bad guys find them before we do?" she finally asked, eyes filling with tears again. Will hastened to reassure her again, grasping desperately for the right words.

"They – they won't, Liriz. It'll all be ok, you'll see," he whispered hurriedly, wincing as McCoy poked at his leg again. Liriz didn't seem completely convinced, but then again, there wasn't anything Will could really do to convince her until she saw her parents herself…_If_ she sees her parents herself.

Will snuck a glance at Langley but didn't dare ask the question he was thinking out loud. Instead, he focused his attention back on the three scared children huddled at his side and, as if by instinct, continued doing the one thing that had seemed to calm them down before. He started to hum, at the same whispered volume he had before the others had arrived.

And this time, he didn't stop. Not when a confused Langley whispered a question to the CMO on his left, not when Kirk's mumbled voice paused to listen for a moment from across the room, not even when Spock's backup security team beamed just outside the collapsed building and began fanning out to protect their evacuation. Even as the familiar tingling sensation of the transporter surrounded his body, Will kept humming the melody of that old Terran classic, doing his best to keep his new companions calm.

**O*O*O*O*O*O*O**

It had been five days since "The Latest Episode in the Aryv is Always Right Saga", so dubbed by a certain Andorian navigator/prankster. Will spent two of those in sickbay, recovering from his unfortunate run-in with the wrong end of that Qolis weapon, whose concussive power he calculated to rival that of a type-3 Klingon Disruptor. McCoy, as the young ensign discovered, wasn't as bad as Aryv made him out to be…as long as he obeyed the man's instructions to a T. Will had found that out the hard way when he decided to test the bone-knitter's repair job by pacing circles in the corner of sickbay on his first day in there.

Will shivered at the memory of the resulting lecture. Aryv had been on his way to visit Will when McCoy was still in the middle of reaming him out, and under normal circumstances the comically fearful expression on the Andorian's face as he slowly backed out the door would have had Will grinning from ear to ear. That is, if he wasn't so sure it would cause the good doctor to disavow the Hippocratic Oath long enough to flay him alive.

After he was released from Sickbay, Will's time had been split between looking after their three young guests and working with Captain Kirk, Commander Spock, Lieutenant Tao, Lieutenant Uhura, and Ensign Langley to figure out just what had happened to cause their peaceful negotiations to take such a dramatic turn for the worse.

Liriz, Imun and Aati, who had been beamed aboard with Will and the rest of the away team, were determined to stay by the ensign's side and thus were present for all of the meetings Piper was required to attend. Will, with the assistance of Lieutenant Uhura, provided the kids with noise-cancelling headphones and a holovid to watch in the corner during such meetings so they wouldn't become upset by anything related to what was happening with their hometown.

Curiously enough, the only other person aboard they seemed to trust was Commander Spock. He had been waiting in Transporter Room 1 for the away team to be brought aboard, and, upon realizing that they would not be able to stay with Will the entire time he was in sickbay, the three Qolis children latched onto the unsuspecting Commander. According to Aryv, who kept an eye on the children from afar by Will's request, all attempts by the Vulcan officer to pass the kids onto someone else failed miserably.

Of course, as soon as Will was released from the clutches of the 'deranged hypo-happy Terran bastard' (Aryv's words, not his), Liriz and her brothers happily abandoned Spock in favor of following Will around. Kirk, who had discovered quite accidentally that the children could be very loud when upset, seemed to have no qualms about allowing Ensign Piper to go about his duties with the addition of three shadows.

All in all, the past five days had been…stressful…for everyone, to say the least. Especially Will, who was not only charged with assisting with the Tactical aspects of the unfolding situation, but also with constantly reassuring and caring for three alien children.

But thankfully, just a few minutes ago Will received what he was sure was the most relieving comm of his life. The Qolis terrorist group who had attacked the town, a xenophobic faction who believed their people to be better off without outsider influences, had been apprehended by the central government's military forces. Even better, survivors of the attack included Liriz, Imun, and Aati's parents, who were eager to reunite with their children.

Will glanced back to check on the status of his three shadows as he walked down the hall towards Transporter Room 1, where Kirk, Spock, and Uhura were already waiting.

"You guys excited to go home?" he asked, slowing his pace a little to compensate for the kids' smaller size. Liriz's head tilted to the side slightly in contemplation, a habit she must have picked up from Spock.

"Yeah," she replied after a moment, looking to her ever silent brothers for a moment before her gaze dropped to her feet. "We missed our parents a lot, but…"

Will stopped just as they reached the transporter room, registering the slight drop in the little girl's tone.

"But what? What's wrong, kiddo?" he asked softly, kneeling down to look Liriz in the eye. She didn't lift her gaze from her shoes, hesitating before answering in a low mumble.

"We don't want you to leave forever," she said, so quietly it was almost a whisper. Will blinked, leaning his weight back on his heels in surprise.

"Oh, Liriz…you guys know I can't stay," he finally responded, voice cracking slightly. Damn, he really underestimated how hard this would be. "My place is here, on Enterprise."

Liriz didn't lift her gaze. Her brothers simply looked at him, their dark amber eyes glinting with unspoken emotion. Will had gotten better at interpreting their state of mind over the last few days, and could tell that they, like their sister, were upset about their impending separation from their new friend.

"But…" Will started, voice trailing off as his brain struggled to keep up with his mouth. "Your people are probably going to join the Federation soon, and, uh, I'm sure Captain Kirk can put in a word for the Enterprise to be the officiating liaison vessel for your planet. That means that if the grown-ups ever need help with anything, they'll call us, and we'll be the ones to help. Sound good?"

Liriz seemed to contemplate this for a moment before lifting her head and nodding quickly. Will looked to the twins, who seemed to mirror their sister's change in mood. He gave them a quick grin and got back to his feet.

"Good. Now, I'm sure your parents miss you very much. Let's not keep them waiting anymore, huh?" He said cheerfully, leading the trio into the transporter room.

Spock and Uhura were waiting quietly by the transporter controls along with the engineer on duty and noticed the group as soon as they entered. Kirk took a moment longer to realize Will and the kids had arrived, having been deep in yet another argument with McCoy. Will could think of no reason the CMO would show up to a simple transport other than to heckle Kirk about something or other, and based on McCoy's expression when Kirk waved him off in favor of addressing the four newcomers, the argument was far from over.

"Ensign Piper, thank you for bringing the kiddos so quickly. I'm sure they're eager to get home," Kirk greeted, flashing a wide smile at the three small faces peeking out from behind Piper.

"Yessir, I'd say so," Piper answered quietly, reaching back to place a reassuring hand on Liriz's shoulder. "I think they're a little nervous about using the transporter, though."

Kirk, ever mindful of the children's skittish nature, took a very slow, deliberate step closer while simultaneously reaching into his pocket to retrieve something.

"It does look a little freaky, doesn't it? Scared the bejeezus out of me the first time I used one as a kid" he chuckled lightly, shifting his gaze to Liriz and her brothers. "But I'm sure you three will get used to it eventually. After all, I just got official word that your planet is joining the Federation. I expect the three of you will make outstanding Starfleet officers someday."

As he spoke, Kirk opened his hand to reveal what he'd pulled out of his pocket: three small metal Starfleet insignias, each attached to a necklace chain. Will looked down to gauge the kids' reactions, and was surprised to see Liriz, her two brothers in tow, stepping out from behind him to take the tokens from the Captain's hand.

The three looked down at the insignia's solemnly for a moment before Liriz, as always, spoke up for the three of them.

"Thank you, Mr. Captain Kirk," she said, the misuse of title causing the Captain's lips to twitch upwards. Imun and Aati just nodded their thanks before the three of them turned to face Will once more. Will swallowed the lump that had suddenly appeared in his throat.

"Well, I guess I'll see you three in Starfleet soon enough," he said, clearing his throat before continuing. "Go on and step onto the transporter pad, like when we got beamed up earlier. You can hold hands if it helps."

Liriz nodded and latched onto her little brothers' hands, her lower lip trembling slightly as they turned away. The trio stopped by Spock briefly, who had moved to stand next to the steps leading up to the pad. Will lifted an eyebrow in surprise as he watched Liriz briefly released her brothers' hands to lift her own in the traditional Vulcan farewell. Imun and Aati, after a moment's hesitation, joined their sister.

Spock seemed unsurprised, lifting his hand in the same manner.

"Live long, and prosper," he stated evenly, voice betraying no emotion.

"Peace and long life," Liriz responded, causing Will's eyebrows to shoot up even further.

_I guess Spock was more fond of the kids than he let on,_ he thought, as Liriz let her arm drop to grab her brothers' hands once more.

Will's shoulders drooped slightly as he watched the three children step up onto the transporter pad, their small frames seeming out of place in the large space. Even so, he lifted his hand in a wave and forced himself to smile for their benefit.

Liriz, Imun, and Aati fixed their dark eyes on his as they waited for the technician to send them home. And although their faces had turned stony again, Will thought he detected a hint of reassurance in their gaze.

"Ready, sir," the technician said quietly.

"Energize," Kirk's voice answered after a moment. Will kept his focus on the kids, watching quietly as their small bodies became engulfed in the light of the beam and then disappeared.

"Transport complete, sir. Planet side reports all three arrived safe and sound," the technician reported after a moment. Kirk nodded sharply.

"Good. Nice work everybody, now go and get some rest," Kirk caught Will's gaze before continuing "You've earned it."

Will nodded, adding an 'aye sir' for good measure, before falling in behind Spock and Uhura to leave the room.

"Oh, and Piper?"

Will turned at the sound of Kirk's voice from behind him.

"Sir?" he asked quickly, instinctively searching through his memory to see if he'd done anything to warrant a reprimand lately. The captain smirked at the ensign's suddenly panicked expression.

"Relax, ensign, you're not in trouble," he chuckled. "Quite the opposite, in fact. I wanted to commend you on your excellent performance on the away mission. You did a great job protecting those kids, and I'll be saying so in my final report to Starfleet command."

Will's mouth dropped open in surprise and he attempted to come up with a normal, professional reply, such as 'Thank you Captain', or 'I'm honored, sir'. But since when was he capable of doing things normally?

"O-Oh, uh…that's – that's, I mean…" Kirk, luckily, cut off the shocked ensign's pitiful ramblings before they got out of hand, eyes twinkling in amusement.

"You're welcome, Ensign. Now go and get some rest," he said swiftly, smirking a little as he made a 'shooing' motion with his hands. "Go on, Alpha shift starts in 8 hours. Don't wanna be late."

Will gave up on vocalizing a response and simply nodded before turning abruptly and making his way to the exit as fast as he dared. He heard Kirk, with a seething McCoy likely still on his heels, wait a moment before leaving as well.

Will walked swiftly down the hall toward the turbo lift, mind gradually returning to its regular, unflustered state. As he rounded the corner, he caught a piece of Kirk and McCoy's conversation as they trailed behind him, probably planning on catching the lift after Piper did.

"…don't care if you think it's funny, Jim, 'cause I'm sick and tired of the hobgoblin comin' crying to me sayin' you've lost your damn mind every time you decide to scramble his logic circuits with one of your half-schemed…"

Will winced and quickened his pace, recognizing the signs of a rampaging CMO when he heard them. He slammed his hand on the turbo lift controls as soon as he got inside, closing the doors as fast as possible.

"Deck 4," he stated tiredly, running a hand down his face and sighing to himself. It had been a long week.

When the doors opened again, Will set off towards his quarters, eager to get a full night's sleep before his shift started up again. As he approached his door, however, the Andorian leaning against the wall and tapping away at his PADD stopped him in his tracks.

"Aryv?" Will asked with a yawn, shuffling closer to his old roommate. "What're you doing here? Aren't your quarters on the other side of the deck?"

Ensign Ch'vehlat put his PADD away, pushing himself off from the wall to face his friend.

"Yeah, I just heard that the kids got sent home," Aryv smirked, crossing his arms playfully. "So, I thought I'd stop by to give you a heads up before I turn in for the night."

"Give me a heads up about what?" Will asked, turning to press his thumb to the control panel next to his door.

"There was a truce while the kids were here, but I've still got a prank war to win," he replied, the smirk still clearly evident in his voice.

Will froze, not turning around to face his friend as he fearfully removed his hand from the control panel.

"You didn't…"

"Prank you tonight?" the Andorian chuckled. "Nah, would've been too easy. But I'd watch my back if I were you, Piper. I've enlisted the help of two very powerful allies this time. You and your little posse don't stand a chance."

Will finally turned to face Aryv, raising an eyebrow mockingly.

"Oh, yeah?" he smiled, leaning in closer so the two were almost nose to nose. "Bring it."

Aryv grinned back before turning abruptly and practically skipping down the hall.

"You'll regret saying that, buddy-o!" his cheerful voice called just before he walked out of sight.

Will shook his head to himself, turning back to open his door.

"Crazy SOB…" he muttered fondly, stepping inside his dark room and breathing a sigh of relief. The lights in his quarters turned on at a low setting when he entered, a feature he'd programmed one day when he was bored.

"Computer, one cup of mint tea, 80 degrees Celsius," he ordered, sitting down on his bed to pull off his boots.

His quarters were cramped, just like those of most other Ensigns on the ship, but he was lucky enough to have received one of the few with a (somewhat) functional replicator, which was especially nice if he was too tired to go to Mess. It didn't do too well with food items, but he'd found (through much trial and error) that it made an excellent cup of tea.

The sight that greeted his eyes when he looked up from his shoes, however, was not that of a small cup of steaming liquid. Instead, Will found himself face to face with…a chicken. For a moment, the two confused creatures just stared at each other.

And then all hell broke loose.

Not many crew members were unfortunate enough to be walking through deck 4 over the next 20 minutes or so, but those who were would swear up and down over the next several weeks that they saw a panicked, shoeless Ensign Piper chasing after a squawking yellow chicken in the early hours of Gamma shift.

Rumor had it that the fabled chicken, affectionately dubbed The Beast, had slipped into a Jeffries Tube and had been wandering the Enterprise ever since. Piper, of course, refused to admit that such an event ever occurred, much less that the alleged chicken was still running freely around the ship. Most crew members believed him.

That would be a little _too_ crazy, even for a ship as unusual as the Enterprise. Right?


End file.
